Benign acute viral myositis in African migrants: A clinical, serological, and pathological study

Muscle Nerve. 2019 Nov;60(5):586-590. doi: 10.1002/mus.26679. Epub 2019 Aug 30.

Abstract

Background: Several viruses have been described as causes of acquired inflammatory myopathies; however, the mechanisms by which they cause muscle disease are still unclear. The aim of this study was to describe the laboratory features of benign acute myositis in a small case series.

Methods: A detailed pathological and serological analysis was performed in five African migrants who developed an acute viral myositis complicated by rhabdomyolysis.

Results: Muscle biopsies clearly documented an inflammatory myopathy with histological features similar to polymyositis including CD8+ T cells surrounding and invading nonnecrotic muscle fibers, CD68+ macrophages and major histocompatibility complex class I antigen upregulation. In addition, positivity for myositis-specific antibodies (MSA), in particular anti-aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, was found in the serum of two patients.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that T-cell mediated injury occurs in muscle of patients with acute viral myositis, and that MSA may be present in the serum of these patients.

Keywords: Coxsackie virus; inflammatory myopathies; myositis-specific antibodies; polymyositis; rhabdomyolysis; viral myositis.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / immunology
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology
  • Autoantibodies / immunology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cameroon / ethnology
  • Cote d'Ivoire / ethnology
  • Creatine Kinase / blood
  • Emigrants and Immigrants
  • Ghana / ethnology
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin M / immunology
  • Italy
  • Macrophages / immunology*
  • Male
  • Myositis / complications
  • Myositis / immunology*
  • Myositis / pathology
  • Myositis / physiopathology
  • Nigeria / ethnology
  • Rhabdomyolysis / blood
  • Rhabdomyolysis / etiology
  • Signal Recognition Particle / immunology
  • Virus Diseases / complications
  • Virus Diseases / immunology*
  • Virus Diseases / pathology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Autoantibodies
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Signal Recognition Particle
  • Creatine Kinase
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases